Intercomparison of NO, NO2and HNO3measurements with photochemical theory

Abstract
The simultaneous measurements of NO, NO2 and HNOA mixing‐ratio profiles carried out on the Stratoprobe balloon flight of 22 July 1974 have been simulated with a time‐dependent model using the measured temperature and ozone profiles. The calculated ratios of NO/NO2, HNO3/NO2 using currently accepted photochemistry are consistent with the measured ratios within the experimental errors of the measurements. The measured NO2/NO ratio is almost a factor of two smaller than predicted, although the discrepancy is still within the experimental errors. A remarkable proportionality in the NO2 and O3 profiles has been noted and is unexplained. A time‐dependent simulation has been employed to convert the measurements into diurnally‐averaged profiles suitable for intercomparison with two‐dimensional stratospheric models and a comparison with constituent profiles from Prinn et al. (1975) is carried out as an example. The NOV mixing ratio, formed from the sum of the NO, NO2 and HNO2 measurements is similar to the NOV mixing ratio from several one‐ and two‐dimensional models used to predict the effects of SST's on the ozone layer. The odd nitrogen mixing ratio is roughly constant from 20 to 35 km at 11 ppbv.